She has been waiting patiently in the wings to tie the knot with her England rugby star boyfriend - and now I can reveal that Zara Phillips will finally marry Mike Tindall next spring.

Having watched Zara's brother Peter wed last month, the Princess Royal's only daughter and Tindall are planning their wedding for May and are already looking for venues.

Zara currently favours Windsor's St George's Chapel, where Peter and Autumn Kelly were married, but she is determined that her own big day will not be splashed over Hello! magazine.

Zara Phillips and her boyfriend Mark Tindall at the Cheltenham Festival race meeting

Friends tell me that Zara, 26, who hopes to bring home an Eventing gold medal from this summer's Beijing Olympics, has been advised by her father Captain Mark Phillips to delay an official announcement as he wants her to focus on the Games.

'Zara and Mike are secretly engaged but they won't announce it till after the Olympics,' says a close friend. 'They can't wait to get married. Zara loves St George's Chapel and Frogmore, where her brother had his reception, but the logistics aren't yet finalised.'

The source said there was no question of striking a deal with a celebrity magazine.

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Zara hopes for a wedding similar to Peter and Autumn's but without the magazine deal

'To be honest it's not her style and having Hello! and all the cameras at Peter's wedding caused a bit of a stink. Having said that, it was well stage-managed and Zara will be using it as a blueprint for catering and security.'

Princess Anne is said to be very fond of Tindall, 29, and has given the couple her full backing.

'They've become quite impatient,' the source added. 'Peter had to marry first to keep with tradition.

'Next year, the road will be clear for them.'